3 Psychology Principles That Boost Social Media Engagement

Are your social media posts getting enough engagement? Do you want tips for connecting with your audience? Social media engagement is largely determined by how well your social posts trigger action from your target audience. In this article you’ll discover how to boost social media engagement by incorporating psychological triggers in your posts.

Appeal to Knowledge Seekers

There is nothing people love more than an explanation. In fact, in the well-known Xerox study, Ellen Langer and her colleagues conducted a simple experiment to see how people reacted when someone tried to cut in line at the Xerox machine. Ellen discovered that she was allowed to cut the line more frequently when she explained to people why she needed to.

Focus on a Desire

You’ll get more engagement with your content if you make your audience believe that they can do something. Walk readers through the hard stuff and break it down in easy-to-digest chunks of information so they can take action quickly and easily.

Tap Into the Fear of Missing Out

It’s human nature to be apprehensive about being left out. We want to be in the know and be where the action is happening. We want to be included. If we say no to an opportunity, we fear we’ll miss out on something that could be of great benefit to us.

For example, if there’s an important conference in your industry, you may be compelled to attend because you fear you’ll miss out on great opportunities that other people in your industry will be afforded.

With a good industry conference, you can build your brand and business by networking with new and long-time colleagues. You can also attend sessions that help you improve your craft. The opportunity is so compelling that you’re afraid if you don’t attend, you’ll read lots of enthusiastic posts about it in your news feed and kick yourself for missing out on something that could help you.

Your draw doesn’t have be as large-scale as a conference. Maybe, for your business, you should offer a book your community is reading, a piece of content you offer or access to extended features of your tool or service. Whatever it is, invite your audience to become part of the experience.